Card for direct and sequence sorting



Dec. 6, 1949 A. A. REMBOLD CARD FOR DIRECT AND SEQUENCE SORTING' Filed Feb. 15, 1944 bOOUO 000 0 42174 O I HUNDREDS THOUSANDS I TENS wow.

9 Ti Uo 0000 INVENTOR. HLBERT A. PEMBOLD BY 47/04, M

Patented Dec. 6, 1949 CARD FOR manor AND SEQUENCE soarmc Albert A. Rembold, San Francisco, Calif.

Application February 15, 1944, Serial No. 522,440 3 Claims. (Cl. 129-181) This invention relates to cards, sheets, etc. as are used in keeping records.

Heretofore two sorting methods have been used,

the most common ofwhich has been the method for sequence sorting of cards. The other method is called direct or selective sorting.

Sequence sorting involves successive removal of undesired cards from a stack leaving the desired cards in the desired order. This method is mainly for arranging cards in proper order in a stack.

Direct or selective sorting is where the desired card or cards are directly removed from a stack irrespective of the order of the cards in the stack.

Typical examples of structures heretofore employed, in the order of their development, are found in United States Letters Patents to' Perkins, No. 1,544,172, June 30, 1925, and 1,739,087, December 10, 1929; Nevin, No. 2,289,380, July 14, 1942, and No. 2,213,607, September 3, 1940. In each of these patents the acknowledged end has been to produce a combination of physical structure and printing that will increase the capacity of the cards or that will permit a reduction in the size of the card without reducing its capacity or manipulative possibilities. If the structure in a marginal portion of, say about two inches in length along one edge of a card will permit the sequence sorting of the same number of classifications as was heretofore required in a wider marginal portion that is almost five inches in length, there is a great saving in material if the smaller sized cards are used, or the capacity of the larger card for classifications is more than doubled.

With my invention I have not only provided a structure that increases the classification capacity of cards, but have at the same time provided a structure for both sequence and direct sorting, a result heretofore never accomplished without utilizing more than double the length of marginal space required by me. Furthermore common structure is used by me for accomplishing both direct and sequence sorting.

The principal object of this invention is to provide a structure in which coded perforations in fields along one edge of a card are respectively notched to form patterns of notches in said edge 2 that provide for direct or sequence sorting of the cards as may be desired in the same or substantially less space than heretofore would be required to accomplish the same general result.

5 Other objects and advantages will be seen in of a card and which perforations are divided into numerical fields orvgroups of eight with one smaller group, said fields" or groups being separated .by printedlines.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary view of separate fields on a single card respectively notched out to show patterns corresponding to the numbers 3, 5, 6, 8

and 9 while Fig. 3 shows the patterns of notches, perforations and numbers corresponding to the numbers I, 4, 2 and I.

Fig. 4 is a view of a pattern of notches, indicia and perforations in the edge of the card for direct or selective sorting of a card identified by the number 90,731, and Fig. 5 shows a pattern for direct or selective sorting of card No. 27,614.

In actual practice the length of the pair of rows of perforations shown in Fig. 1 is preferably about 3.7 inches, and the diameter of each perforation may be about .075 inch. v .The said rows including the numerals may be contained in .a marginal portion about .4 inch wide. vThus a card about 7.5 inches in length would contain double the numberof perforationsfshownin Fig. 1 along one edge only.- Orconsecutively numbered classifications from one to ten million could be sorted by the direct or sequence sorting method in fields contained in one narrow longitudinal margin of 5 being adjacent said edgeand the second row being adjacent saidfirst row but spaced therefrom a distance about thediameter of a perforation 2, or less, said perforations 2 being of uniform diameter.

The perforations of the second row are respectively in alignment with the perforations of the first row in direction at right angles to the edge 3 along which said rows extend.

For numerical classifications the rows are divided transversely thereof into fields by printed lines 4. From right to left in Fig. 1 these fields are indicated at 5, 6, l, 8 and 9, and in each field are four perforations in each of the two rows, or four pairs of adjacent perforations, each pair being an opening from each of the two rows.

The field. 5 may refer to units below ten, field 6 to tens, field 1 to hundreds, field 8 to thousands, and field 9 to tens of thousands, and said fields may respectively be so .EQBSi MtGQ as shown in Fig. 1 Y

The four pairs of openings in each field from left to right may be successively identified by numerals 1, 4, 2, i, or 6, 3, 2, l, although the for.- mer numerals are preferable.

It is pertinent to note that each perforation of a corresponding pair in alignment in' each field in direction at right angles to .the. edge .of the card adjacent thereto is identified by the same numeral.

In addition to the perforations 2 in fields 5 to ,9, I may provide one or more pairs of perforations Hi, preferably at one end of the two rows described, and in a field ll adjoining one of the end'field's 5 or9. In 'l said perforations are in a field adioining'endfield 9. The perforations in such field :H are preferably in alignment with the perforations in the two rows and the perforations of each pair are in alignment in direction at-right angles to edge 3. There may-be any desired number of openings in field H,-but all that required for my particular purpose is a number equal ';to one "less than the number of fields such as fields :5 .to 9. Therefore in Fig. 1 there are four openings ID in field H, and these are numbered i, 1., 3, 4 with "the perforations nearest edge :3, from left to right, being identified bynumerals 1,3, and the perforation in the 'second row from right .to left being identified -by numerals 2, 4. Whether these perforations identifying numerals =in field H or the numerals identifying the perforations in fields 5 to '9 are arranged to read from left to right or from right to left is immaterial.

Figsn2, 3 are merely illustrative of the manner in which the perforations are notched "in each field to refer to classifications from the numeral one to nine, inclusive, hence each field illustrated may be any one of the fields '5 to '9.

"In Fig. 2 fromleft to right, the respective fields generally designated l5 thatcorrespond to any of theffields S -to ,9, are --notched -to refer to classifications 3:, 5,6, 8 and 9,. 3 from left'to'right, the fields generally designated 15 that correspond to any of the fields -25 to 9,, are notchedto referto classificationsl, 4,2 "I These latter numerals '1 will call "fprime numerals,

since hey o spon with the numerals tha identifyboth rows of openings 3 in each field.

T e hi hly importan .Ieatrre (to note with ec t the pat erns of pa ches produ ed i s 3 refe 5 1 the classifigations 3. .5. .5. 5 a d 9, wh ch a combinat on of pairs of the numerals 1. .12. 1 th tidentify the per orations in each field s th each pa 10f n tche ex end l i e tip eti n ll th t row. and in m instanced e any o these ,tend .to the second row Ho e er. th pattern reu ited torefer to classifications of the prime numbers-,1, .1, 2. l i a sinelenotgb 1n ar nnefieldsstendins 4 past the perforations in the first row to a perforation in the second row.

Inasmuch as only one classification for each field is possible, it will be seen that the notch pattern for any one of the fields 5 to 9 will either extend to a pair of openings in the first row, or to a single opening in the second row, but no one field will have a combination of both.

In actual practice, for sequence sorting one of the conventional sorting pins, needles, or the like (not shown) as indicated in United States Letters Patent to Rembold, No. 2,198,127, April 23, 1940, is used. By inserting such pin successively *in the perforations of the first row, a sequence :sorting is accomplished as is done in the various patents to Perkins and Nevin here- :l-nbefore noted. However, by using a pair of ,suchpinsinthe first row for a common number, ,such as 'for3, '5, 6, 8, 9 or a single pin in the second row for a prime number 1, 4, 2 or I, a director selectivesorting is possible.

In F ig..5 for example, the card I is notched in field 5 for classification number 4. Field 6 ;is.no.tched for number 1, field 1 for 6, field 18 for 7 and field 9 for 2. By insertion of a single pin in the successive perforations ofthe first row and lifting the pin after each insertion, the cards that drop will be in their proper order in'sequence. No manipulation of the pin or-pins in the second row of perforations is'necessa-ry for sequence sorting.

The card I of 'Fig. 5 as notched, refers to card number 27,614. By inserting a pin in each of the openings simultaneously in a stack of cards that correspond with those notched out in the cardof Fig. 5, and lifting the stack by said pins, the card of Fig. 5 and that one only -(if itis the only card 27.614), will be extracted ordropped thus accomplishing a-di-rect orselective sorting.

The use of the perforations in field H is only where zeroes might occur in any number, such as in the card of Fig. 4 that is card No. 90,731. There being only one zero in said number, the perforation numbered 1 is slotted. out. In the event the card has less than five digits, say only one, such as the numeral 1. then the perforation in the second row of field 5 (as indicated in Fig. 4) is the only one that is slotted out in the :fields '5 to 9, but the perforation numbered 4 in field H would be slotted out to indicate that the perforations in the four fields 6, 7, 8 and 9 are not slotted. A pin would, of course, be-used-in the openings in the stack correspond- .ing -with the opening designated 1 in field H for direct sorting of the card of Fig. 4 or card No.-;7-3l.

Having described the invention, I claim:

1. A stack of cards for classification purposes, each card provided with a pair ofparallelrows of coded openings-adjacent one edge thereof and parallel with said edge, marks dividing said rows into :groups of eight openings only arranged in pairs of adjacent openin s in said pair of rows, patterns of notches in the edges of the cards in saidistack extending to the openings in different rows in dilierent of said groups referring to differentclassifications, the said notches in anyone of said groups being extended to one or more openings of one only of said. rows, the pairs .of openings in each group being identified by .four different single anumerals above zero that are adapted :tobe added in pairs to produce Sums epresenting five of the singl numerals in the series of f om one t :n ne .:.t .1a re not ident fied by said four single numerals, an additional group of openings formed in said card identified by numbers other than zero in series of progressively increasing value, the number of openings in said additional group so identified being equal to the number of said groups of eight less one, and a single notch terminating in one only or said openings in said additional group in any card bearing a classification containing one or more zeros, said openings in said additional group being arranged in pairs corresponding with the arrangement of the openings in said groups of eight.

2. A stack of cards for classification purposes, said cards bearing difierent classification numbers, each card being formed with a pair of parallel rows of openings parallel with and adjacent one edge thereof, marks dividing said rows into a predetermined number of groups of eight openings only arranged in four pair of adjacent openings with each pair in alignment perpendicular to said one edge, said four pair of openings, in each of said groups being identified by the numerals l, 4, 2, I, an additional group of openings arranged in alignment with said rows the number of which is at least equal to the number of said predetermined groups less one and no more than the number of said predetermined groups, the openings in said additional group being arranged in pairs corresponding to the arrangement of the pairs in said predetermined groups up to the nearest even number of said predetermined groups, patterns of notches in the said edges of said cards adjacent said rows extending to openings in different rows in different of said predetermined groups, the said notches in any one of said predetermined groups being extended to one or more openings of one only of said rows, and a single notch terminating in one only of the openings in said additional group in any card bearing a classification number containing one or more zeros.

3. A stack of cards for classification purposes said cards bearing different classification numbers, each card being formed with a pair of parill allel rows of openings parallel with and adjacent one edge thereof, the openings in said rows being arranged in pairs with the openings of each pair in alignment perpendicular to said one edge, spaced marks extending perpendicular to said one edge dividing the openings in said rows into a predetermined number of groups of four of said pairs only and into one group having not less than the number of openings equal to the number of said predetermined groups less one and not more than the number of said predetermined groups, said four pair of openings in said predetermined groups being identified by the numerals i, 4, 2, I, patterns of notches in the said edges of said cards adjacent said rows extending to openings in each of said rows in different of said predetermined number of groups with the notches in any one of said predetermined number of groups terminating at one or more openings of one only of said rows whereby the depth of any notches in any one group will be equal, a notch extending from said edge terminating at its inner end at a certain single opening in said one group in certain of said cards in which the classification number thereof has one or more zeros.

ALBERT A. REMBOLD.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,739,087 Perkins Dec. 10, 1929 2,169,050 Johnston Aug. 8, 1939 2,198,127 Rembold Apr. 23, 1940 2,213,607 Nevin Sept. 3, 1940 2,289,380 Nevin July 14, 1942 2,338,133 Sandell Jan. 4, 1944 2,339,519 Rembold Jan. 18, 1944 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 294,724 Great Britain 1928 522,386 Great Britain 1940 

